Jon & Kate Plus 8 Plunges into Low Ratings, Melancholia and Mid-Life Crisis

Three episodes deep into post-separation Jon & Kate Plus 8, it's clear that the TLC headliner is sinking fast. The Gosselin children still preen for the camera and embark on comped adventures ("Who wants a Kids Crooked House™ playhouse?"), but domestic troubles and media warfare have transformed Jon and Kate into an unrecognizable pair and made their children into pity-objects. Even with TLC's careful accommodation of the family's new schedule (Kate and kids go on vacation while Jon renovates the kitchen at home), each episode's sadness skyrockets while ratings plummet.

After a month-long break and a flurry of tabloid coverage, Jon and Kate Plus 8 returned three weeks ago with less than half of the 9.8 million viewers that tuned in for the season premiere, a drop that could be attributed to people not wanting to hear eight adorable kids complain about "missing Daddy." TLC tries to overshadow these moments with upbeat sequences of the pack burning s'mores or enjoying a good old-fashioned snake museum, but it is impossible to forget that this heart-wrenching period of domestic upheaval will forever be captured on a a multi-disc DVD set.

As the network pieces together footage of the junior Gosselins at at their happy-go-luckiest, the changes in the senior Gosselins are more difficult to ignore. Kate, a formerly obsessive planner and serial delegator ("Build that tent, Jon. Now move the tent across the yard. Jon, that's not where I told you to put the tent.") is left without anyone other than a team of P.A.'s to push around. Each episode highlights Kate's newfound melancholy, as she repeatedly laments that the separation "is not ideal" and she has "lost the ability to plan for the future." Once spunky and energetically derisive, Kate now fills air time defeatedly struggling to build a fire, assembling the tents that once tormented Jon (the irony!), and learning about single parenthood.

Having legally extricated himself from Kate's clutches, Jon is downright chipper. In last night's episode, Jon pleasantly watched over the kitchen renovation, frequently remarking on how smooth the process was going without Kate. He later surprised the twins with his freshly re-pierced ears, bejeweled t-shirt and new 'tude: "I'm 32 years old. I've always liked motorcycles and cars and fast things...this is who I am and this is who I'm going to be."

While TLC shamelessly capitalizes on Jon and Kate's hilariously contrasting experiences adjusting to life post-separation, maybe it's time for the Gosselin children score a court-ordered guardian and burn through some of their hard-earned cash on a camera-free Caribbean island. Kate could document her time away from the children in Kate Gosselin Living Single: Weekends Only while Jon sows more oats in I Swear It's Not a Midlife Crisis.



Comments

  • MCU says:

    Quelle douche.

  • Lowbrow says:

    Yeah Jon, you have four tattoos..& twice as many children. So how about a little less Ed Hardy and a little more daddy day care.
    Besides, Kate could use some alone time with the bodyguard.

  • mama says:

    Watching Kate's rudeness on tv is really irritating. TLC just quit this show or don't you guys have anything else to film?

  • Lowbrow says:

    I'm sure they could always wrangle up some new midgets.

  • sweetbiscuit says:

    Oddly, I think TLC is only still filming them because people are watching. Weird, I know, but I bet they'd stop if no one wants to see it anymore. Just a theory. Could be wrong.
    Here's hoping a sudden J&K+8 audience fallout pre-emptively cancels the upcoming Octomom Rent-a-Rant series (and all of the idiotic and destructive 23 Kids And Counting!-type shows).

  • barbie says:

    people seem sick of watching ONE family get EVERYTHING while most of us are struggling to get necessities. Especially when the whole family seems unappreciative and act like they are entitled to what they are getting. they both have probably cheated, the kids are older and not cute anymore, they whine, scream, fight, bite, kick and in general act like brats because even though all these actions are caught on film, neither jon or kate correct them on any of it and I guess that in case jon or kate missed it, the crew isn't allowed to say "hey, that's not nice" (and how could they miss it as often as it happens?) they have college funds set up by the governor, so even if they haven't SAVED enough of the $$$$$$$ they have gotten, they have enough free STUFF and should be able to feed and cloth the kids on a nurse and IT tech's salary. Although, maybe no hospital would feel that with Kate's personality and phobia's she would make a good nurse and Jon doesn't seem to be able to keep a job (worked for the governor, worked for some other company that he was ripping off, and worked for friend Bob). But oh well, a lot of people have lost jobs or are too sick to work, so too bad if they can't find anything else. JUST CANCEL THE SHOW!

  • Lesa says:

    Come on TLC, enough of these child abusers! Kate could care less about the children except that someone else is there to take care of them and she will be with them when it is being filmed. She wants the best for them of course. She Mrs. Queen of fine things will only have them wearing the best and having the best because other wise she seems ashamed of them! Don't watch any more but lord at the comments on these sites she is only getting worse. Don't blame Jon for leaving! The show is boring now from what I hear, to much give me , give me, give me. My kids are the best, my kids, my kids deserve the best. Well good Lord, people are struggling just to put food on the table and Kate Gosselin is making mega bucks selling her children for a TV show and earning her a pay check. Why in the hell do you think any reasonable person with morals and values would even watch this stupid show any more? Even the children are getting rude and out of control just like mommie dearest from what I have been told. I just can not believe TLC would even air such horrible things. There is NO LOVE in that family, there is only greed! Good job TLC, way to help the good ole family values with this dirt bag show and sorry low life Kate Gosselin who trys it seems to make it seem her and her children are better than all others. I would not help her if she needed it if she was bleeding on the road with the way she puts down Jon and others, unless she is acting to try to keep her money coming in. She got got period. Her days are numbered no matter what she sticks her paws into now and forever. This show is so fake! Done deal, it's over for many, many people who USED to watch it. TLC will be done to if you don't take it off the air and soon. Many I know will not even watch TLC. Contact every company that sponsors the show, like coleman, hershey's, Gap or whoever it may be. Don't buy their products and get a hold of you cable/satalitte provider and cancel TLC/Discovery-that will take their profits down from around .16 cents per household that contracts with them really fast. The only way they will take it off the air is to not watch and complain like crazy. And don't buy those products and email them and let them know why. # 1 cancel/don't watch any channels they are on. Don't watch the view when Kate is on it etc., etc., maybe those children can be unemployed if no one watches anything or buys anything Kate Gosselin has her paws on. And there are so many good shows on TV. Plus, family time is great if you don't want to watch TV. Spend that time as family time when you normaly watched the show. I have found so much peace not watching, I don't get upset seeing Kate use and abuse her family.

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